Marilyn Riopel was born into an artistic family in New York, later moving to British Columbia where she taught art and music. Marilyn’s current practice utilizes pastel and showcases a versatile style that focuses on lighting and texture.

I’m always impressed to see such complex and visually interesting works created with such a tricky medium. Though Marilyn’s style is changeable, the artist always seems to have a good grasp of where she’s going with a work, and each mark and moment of color appears deliberate. Marilyn’s Music & Fantasy gallery is full of examples of abstract works that express the sounds and feelings associated with music in a synesthetic way.

I also really enjoy Marilyn’s Tree Series. In this series, the artist has created a number of works capturing trees, each made with a wildly different aesthetic sensibility to truly capture the beauty and uniqueness of every tree species and locale.

About the author

Dallas Jeffs is the Editor of Artist Run Website's blog. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied Critical and Cultural Practices. She is passionate about talking and writing about art, and sharing that interest with others. In her studio practice she is a painter, but she considers herself an art writer and educator foremost. If you like art, books and culture with a science fiction twist, check out Dallas' personal blog, HappySpaceNoises